Vince Palmer in "Rat Ratz 7"
by Brisquit
My new year’s resolutions are writing these reviews and pressing my age in push-ups daily. I’ve written a couple more of these reviews than I’ve pushed-up. Yesterday was 1-0. Today I step up from bed where Mars is curled at my feet. Let’s see if he remains while I step away right now.
37 push-ups later I’m back in bed writing, heart pounding, catching my breath, drinking tap water from Vitamin Water bottle with Mars chilling just as before. I want to feel adrenaline to match energy of Rat Ratz 7:
As is tradition, Rat Ratz 7 begins with RAT RATS 7 spray-painted big and high by writer with pixelated face. Rat Ratz 1 released in November 2019. Rat Ratz 3: Vince Palmer premiered that December. Vince appears a young bespectacled blonde riding Shake Just grip, tech popping like Tyler Bledsoe or in a beanie like Tosh Townend in Sight Unseen. Rat Ratz 4 features Rach and Vince sporting Supreme garm on its March 16, 2020 release, a week into Milan’s covid lockdown. Supreme released Stallion in Spring/Summer 2021 and here, looking forward to two-year Milan store anniversary, the Rat Ratz are ratting beyond their cheesiest dreams coming true, world famous for their local devotion, self-confidence box-logo bolstered, Centrale show & tell.
Vince Palmer’s part begins halfway through this fourteen and a half minute presentation. In the crucible of stardom one is tempted to believe that eyes are on one at all times. No titling until end credits, but we recognize Vince on sight at Centrale, in unzipped riding hoodie necktied to reveal Lil’ Kim graphic tee, Aurel Schmidt swerving around an inattentive passerby. Choral singing while rappers kitchen talk sounds promising as Vince nollie crooks a lengthy, mellow marble ledge down to bottom rollaway on exhaust grates. Rather than lining up cans off Centrale ledge, Vince prefers the bollard gap for nollie backside flip. Third clip brings nighttime line in the most seductive pants I’ve seen this year, switch flip up three on red Baker wood, apple made whole again, next switch back tail while Lil Durk’s Loyal Bro raps about his blick having a switch, then Vince half-cab flips and pushes fast to exit piazza with nollie back heel to cause pedestrian pause.
Facing a bannister in Lobster Dunks, Vince switch heels while THF Zoo forces listeners to confront conspicuous levels of drip. Each remarkable clip in remarkable Supreme pieces is as ostentatious as the level of self-belief and spatial capability that propelled it. In brown and tan patchwork hoodie, further S/S22 garm, Vince nollie flips on flat, then nollie flips down a set then back spins bottle pop. From what location is Versace Plug is watching this video?
Through slams, lands and clasped hands, Ratz bond well aware of sacrifices made, danger discarded, time invested to see success. Vince twists shark bite grind combo in Oski’s Dunks shown twice, then returns to Centrale bollard for switch frontside flip like TJ did in Stallion. Palmer holds one lengthy half-cab noseslide in Chloe in Gummo football jersey then his nollie flip out of lengthy noseslide prompts salutations from red car passenger. The good homie pulls up to backnosegrind revert ledge to gap in sideways hat, coolest trick in video. Vince tucks into buildingside back 5050, frontfacing landscaping pop down before corner column. He hits their favorite eight with nollie heel and nollie back heel, friend’s voices cheering, then switch flips Mazars gap shown twice like Shane O’Neill or Yaje Popson while Buck 30 recalls THF Zoo bestowing his first switch. Vince f/s noseslide flips to regs over Milan’s version of Flushing grate in Oski Dunks and Gummo jersey. Same fit at next spot, flatground nollie flip downhill runway then backside flip down stairs with plenty of room to spare, chopped double cut at apex flip as pedestrians realize they saw something significant.
In same Dough Boy outfit as his initial confrontation, we see Vince return to perform half-cab noseslide flip out over gap to fakie, building upon tricks earlier in part and Rat Ratz 6 to reach a new level of his personal panoply. A dunion declares Vince’s action amazing and throws down his board for emphasis. The box-logo clad vaper from Stallion gets a vaping clip before last part arrives and Vince hugs his friend after his friend’s hammer. Supreme gear provides hypnotizing cachet, but the gutter-bred camaraderie these Ratz share is what lets them grab the cheese while avoiding the trap.